Just a few days old and with no mother in sight, KP2, later renamed Hō’ailona, was rescued from a beach on the island of Kauai in 2008. This rare Hawaiian monk seal became the unofficial mascot for the mission to save this endangered species, of which only 1,200 seals currently remain. The Hawaiian monk seal is declining at a rate of 4% per year and without intervention, they will be gone from the planet within our lifetime.

In 2014, The Marine Mammal Center opened a hospital dedicated to the care and conservation of Hawaiian monk seals on the Big Island of Hawaii. The name of this facility is Ke Kai Ola, or The Healing Sea. This facility is our greatest hope to save this endangered species.